Prosecutor: DA office bomb suspect to plead guilty

Share this story

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The man accused of trying to blow up the Jackson County District Attorney's office in Medford last November will plead guilty, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.

Court records show Alan Leroy McVay, 46, of Jackson County, is to appear Monday in U.S. District court in Medford to change his plea. He faces two counts of malicious destruction of property by explosive.

Prosecutor Byron Chatfield said McVay will plead guilty, and his sentencing will be done at a date to be determined.

Court records say the charges carry a potential sentence of five to 20 years in prison.

McVay's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An FBI affidavit says following his arrest, McVay told investigators that he taped a pipe bomb to a propane tank and tossed it at the window of the district attorney's office in an attempt to delay his sentencing on a burglary charge.

The affidavit says authorities got a tip that McVay was involved just two days after the Nov. 13, 2013, blast, and investigators got copies of recordings of his telephone conversations with his fellow defendant in the burglary case, who was in prison. In those conversations, McVay said he had an idea that would be fun and "could probably get rid of all kinds of paper.

"Maybe a miracle will happen and we'll have some crazy earthquake."

In the darkness before dawn, McVay told investigators he threw the device at the window, but it got hung up on the blinds and didn't get into the office. He ran and heard the blast.

The pipe bomb exploded, but the propane tank didn't. Firefighters found it burning on the ground near the window.

McVay was originally arrested on state charges, but the case was turned over to federal authorities, resolving a potential conflict of interest of the district attorney's office prosecuting a case in which it was a victim. The FBI noted in the affidavit that the district attorney's office was involved in prosecution of transportation of drugs across state lines and robberies of businesses involved in interstate commerce.